
2023 HONOREES & NOMINEES
HONOREES

VISIONARY LEADER HONOREE
Laura Zebersky
President, Jazwares
Following a successful 13-year career as a highly regarded trial attorney, Laura joined Jazwares in 2005. She began her career at Jazwares in licensing, but her unique ability to create meaningful consumer experiences and put customers first led Laura to a role in sales in which she built a world-class global sales organization. With her finger on the pulse of what’s next for consumers and the latest technologies, Laura has been instrumental in identifying, building, and selling some of the most transformational brands in our industry. Laura’s pursuit of creating exclusive value-added experiences led to Jazwares being the pioneers of downloadable digital game codes that today continue to set the company apart.
Under her leadership, Jazwares evolved its Roblox branded business into the preferred home for top game developers on the platform making way for DevSeries, a collection of the most popular games on the platform. With DevSeries, Jazwares is now creating toys for the hottest metaverse gaming brands and working closely with their developers to grow these properties individually. She has played a key role in transforming the Squishmallows brand into the #1 best-selling plush toy as well as the #2 overall best-selling toy property in the entire industry. Laura continues to take play to new levels, and recently ushered in new divisions of Costumes, Pets, and a Game Studio, with more to come.
Laura’s unwavering commitment to philanthropy has helped expand “Jazwares Cares,” a vital, give-back branch of Jazwares dedicated to supporting children's health, well-being, and education through play. As a natural extension of her dedication to philanthropy, Laura is the current Chair of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida Board. As the Board Chair, Laura is heavily involved in the development efforts of the Finker-Frenkel Wish House in South Florida, a new state-of-the-art building under construction, that will create and extend the impact of wish experiences for children with critical illnesses.
In 2017, Laura was recognized by WiT with the prestigious Wonder Woman in Manufacturing Award. She is passionate about mentoring and collaborating with strong women to drive creativity and innovation in the industry further.

TRAILBLAZER HONOREE
Lisa McKnight
Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer, Mattel
Lisa McKnight is Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer of Mattel. She joined Mattel in 1998. In her current role, Lisa oversees all of Mattel’s toy categories and global brands, as well as design and development.
Lisa has held several senior leadership positions at Mattel for nearly 25 years, including the global head of Barbie since 2016 and Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls since 2019 where she oversaw the entire Dolls portfolio for Mattel, and led a global team in brand strategy, product development, and marketing execution. Prior to leading Barbie in 2016, she was the SVP of Marketing for North America working across the Mattel portfolio.
Credited with leading the transformation of Barbie, under Lisa’s leadership, Barbie was the #1 Global Toy Property for 2020 and 2021 and the #1 Global Doll Property for 2020 through 2022. She has also driven the significant expansion of Mattel’s portfolio, including winning back the licensing rights to the Disney Princess and Disney Frozen franchise and the successful relaunch of Monster High. Forbes recognized Lisa as one of the top brand marketers in the world for 2023.
She has led the charge in defining Barbie’s global social mission with the launch of the Barbie Dream Gap Project in 2018, a multi-year initiative dedicated to leveling the playing field for every girl. Since launch, the program has positively impacted over 25 million girls.
Prior to Mattel, she held agency advertising roles supporting clients like Taco Bell and Fairmont Hotels before transitioning to a marketing role at Gap, Inc.
Lisa has served on the boards of MAKERS Women and the Toy Industry Foundation, with a focus on the DE&I committee and was previously the executive sponsor of Women of Mattel employee resource group. Lisa is a member of Women in Toys, through which she serves as a mentor to women in the toy, licensing, and entertainment industries.
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FUTURE LEADER HONOREE
Nyla Hayes
Digital Artist, Nyla's Long Neck
At 13-years-old, Nyla wowed the NFT world when she created the "Long Neckie Ladies'' collection, the first female-led, all-women generative art collection on the Ethereum blockchain, currently worth nearly $3.4 million in digital currency. The collection features diverse women with elongated necks inspired by Nyla’s favorite dinosaur, the Brontosaurus.
In 2021, TIMEPieces, a web3 community initiative by TIME, announced Nyla as its first-ever Artist-in-Residence, a title for which an artist is selected quarterly to develop an intimate, focused collection of art, in addition to the larger initiatives featured in the Build a Better Future Genesis Collection, which included 40 artists and 4,676 pieces. As Artist-in-Residence, Nyla’s collection for TIMEPieces, "Long Neckie Women of the Year," featured 1,000 unique pieces of the 100 women named to TIME's "Women of the Year," including Nyla’s favorite artist Frida Kahlo, Michelle Obama, Toni Morrison, Beyoncé, Billie Holiday, Amelia Earhart, Coco Chanel, Madonna, and more.
In 2021, Nyla was NFT.NYC's Emerging Artist of the Year and received a Future 50 Tech Award, and this year, she was named to AfroTech's Future 50. Nyla is the founder of NFT Children’s Day and has been featured in TIME and TIME for Kids. You can see more of Nyla's collection on OpenSea.
NOMINEES
Brand Franchise

Anna Songco Adamian
VP, Global Consumer Products​
Crunchyroll

Jamie Buono- Sikorski
VP, Brand & Design
Jazwares

Meredith Norrie
Head of Consumer Products, Licensing, Promotions & Retail Development
Mattel

Anne Marie Horne
Sr. Director, Creative Development
Hasbro, Inc.

Melissa Liu
Sr. Director, Global Brand Marketing
Spin Master

Christine Tran
Head of Studio Management
Amazon

Melissa Rodriguez
VP, Franchise Strategy
Universal Products & Experiences
Commercial Sales

Alexis Hoopes
VP, Head of E-Commerce/DTC
Mattel

Chelsea Stevens
Commercial Lead
ZURU

Julie Thompson
​
Director, US Channel Development​
LEGO Systems Inc

Refugio Landa
General Manager, Hasbro Mexico
Hasbro, Inc.

Allyson Kalvonjian
Director of Toy Licensing
Paramount

Jessica Wichard
VP, Retail Development
Jazwares

Kristen Shackleford
​
Buying Leader​
Amazon

Angela Filippone
Sr. Director of Sales & Team Lead - Walmart​
Just Play

Joy Booth
National Account Manager, Target USA
Spin Master

Mary Wood
​
Managing Director, UK & Germany
TOMY International​
Creative Genius

Carly McGinnis
​
President
Exploding Kittens​

Julie Doverspike
​
Director of Global Brand Management, Games
Goliath Group​

Marlyn Palmer
​
Sr. Director of Supply Chain Architecture
Spin Master

Ruth Balbach
​
EVP, Global Brand Strategy & Creative
Universal Products & Experiences

Jamie Emmick
Director of Special Markets
Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company

Kristen Beam
​
Sr. Manager, Editorial Projects, Knowledge & Translations
LEGO Systems Inc

Melissa (Mel) Hershey
​
Principal Engineer
Hasbro, Inc.​

Joanna Delany
​
VP, Global Product Development
Mattel

Lauren Killian
​
VP, Business Development
Jazwares

Rainey Perez
​
Associate Corporate Counsel
Amazon
Designer/Inventor (Corporate)

Allie Jennings
​
Associate Principal Product Designer
Hasbro, Inc.​

Natasha McGrath
VP, Design
Mattel

Vanessa Wilson
​
Project Designer
Spin Master

Doreen Fazio
​
Sr. Creative Manager
LEGO Systems Inc​

Liv DeLuca
​
Product Designer
TOMY International

Wendi Wing
​
Senior Art Director
Moose Toys

Kana Claussen
​
Director of Design
Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company

Sunny Cho
​
Sr. Director of Product Design – Squishmallows
Jazwares​
Designer/Inventor (Independent)

April Mitchell
​
Inventor & Founder
4A's Creations, LLC

Lauren Cecchi
​
CEO & Creative Director
Signables

Sheila Gray
​
Founder
Sheila Gray Collections​

Britney Crowell
​
Inventor & Founder
CurlCap

Marina Khidekel
​
Founder
Hugimals World

Elenor Mak
​
CEO & Founder
Jilly Bing​

Melody Hsieh-Hornstra
​
Founder & CEO,
Mobo Cruisers
ASA Products
Digital Storytelling

Alexandra Kavalova
​
Sr. Director of Visual Development & Production
Spin Master

Kat Marr
​
Social Media Manager
ZURU

Sarah Braun
​
Sr. Vendor Manager,
Toys & Games
Amazon

Allie Walker
​
Head of Brand Strategy
SuperAwesome

Leah Ringelstein
​
Co-Founder &
Director of Impact
Zigazoo

Shanae Gill
​
Digital Model Artist Hasbro, Inc.

Amy Kelly
​
Senior Creative Producer
LEGO Systems Inc​​

Sara DeWitt
​
SVP & General Manager
PBS KIDS
Inbound Licensing

Cat Caterisano
​
Director of Product Development
Goliath Games

Molly Robbins
​
SVP Global Licensing & Business Development
USPA Global Licensing​

Judy Huang
​
Sr. Licensing Manager, Consumer Products
Mattel​

Surina Modha
​
Director, Hardlines & Publishing
Universal Products & Experiences

Margaret Abroms
​
Sr. Director Licensing
Spin Master

Tanya Thompson
Sr. Director Inventor Relations
Hasbro, Inc.​
Marketing

Amanda Moldavon
VP
Global Brand Creative
Mattel

Jessica Kalichman
Director of Marketing
WowWee
​

Kelly Searfoss
​
Sr. Director, Global
Brand Marketing (Squishmallows)
Jazwares

Taylor Beach
​
Sr. Marketing Manager
Amazon

Francesca Sonand
Sr. Global Marketing Manager
ZURU

Jonelle Brown
​
Director of Global Franchise Planning and Marketing
Paramount

Lauren Haxell
​
Sr. Director, Global Social Media
Hasbro, Inc.​

Grace Ng
​
Global Brand Manager
Moose Toys​

Julie Gwaltney
​
Senior Director
TOMY International

Stephanie Guo
​
Sr. Director Creative Content
Spin Master
PR | Communications

Amarilis Whitty
​
Sr. Director, Corporate Communications EMEA
Mattel

Kassandra O'Brien
​
SVP Marketing
ChizSix Marketing & Media​

Molly Lindemann-Paolillo
​
Sr. Marketing Communications Manager
TOMY International​

Caleigh Anthony
​
Director of Global Communications
Spin Master​

Lauren Purnell
​
Sr. Director of Global Communications
Universal Products & Experiences​​

Molly Martin
​
Brand Relations Manager, Americas
The LEGO Group​

Claudia Vine
​
Sr. Manager, Influencer Relations
Moose Toys

Libby Shearer
​
Sr. Manager, Influencer Marketing
ZURU
​
Rising Leader >500 Employees

Adeline Trento
​
Omni Buyer
Toys"R"Us at Macy's

Elizabeth McFarlane
​
Sr. Director of Retail Sales
Paramount

Madeline Boushie
​
Sr. Brand Manager
LEGO Systems Inc

Sasha Bash
​
Vendor Manager,
Toys & Entertainment
Amazon

Alysha Curtis
​
Global Marketing Director
Moose Toys​

Irene Li
​
Assistant Division Manager
ZURU

Meredith Brooks
​
VP, Supply Chain Transformation Office
Hasbro, Inc. ​

Shabnam Elmi
Global Licensing Lead
Minecraft (Microsoft)

Angela Beck
​
Sr. Director, Global Brand Marketing
Mattel

Lorena Montalvo
​
Senior Product Designer
TOMY International​​

Rakhee Ghelani
Category Manager, Beauty & Care, EMEA
Universal Products & Experiences​

Vanessa Raponi
​
Manager, Manufacturing & Engineering
Spin Master
Rising Leader <500 Employees

Akruti Babaria
​
Founder & CEO
Kulture Khazana, LLC
​

Carolina Acosta
​
Founder
Tragos Games

Kim Chang
​
Sr. Director of Brand Strategy
Just Play

Shail Mehta
​
Co-Founder & CEO
The Last Gameboard​​

Amy Bastuga
​
Chief People Officer
Radio Flyer

Devanshi Kejriwal
​
Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer
Skillmatics

Laurie Lane
​
Owner & Co-Founder
Create A Castle​​

Tysha Brown
​
Brand Manager
Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company

Anna Griese
​
Sr. Director, Marketing & Business Development
Toysmith​

Kelly Kirk-Xu
​
Director of Content and Innovation
Money Masters, Inc. dba Walter the Vault

Reilly Bailey
​
Social Media Manager
Learning Express
Social Impact (Corporate)

Crystal Miller
​
Sr. Coordinator,
Social Media
Mattel

Fiona Hardie
​
Sr. Vendor Manager,
Toys & Games
Amazon

Nicole McGinn
​
Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
Spin Master​​

Victoria Gomez
​
Sr. Manager,
Grown-Ups Community Engagement
LEGO Systems Inc​

Deb Silver
​
Community Relations Manager
Jazwares

Kara Hong
Jr. Project Manager, Human Resources
ZURU

Pamela Krominga
Director, Multi-Cultural Merchandising
Target

Emilia Hogan
​
GM of Amazon Europe and Distributor Markets
TOMY International​

Kate O’Loughlin
​
Chief Operating Officer
SuperAwesome​

Shelly Mazzanoble
​
Sr. Manager, Global Brand Marketing, Dungeons & Dragons
Hasbro, Inc.
Social Impact (Independent)

April Showers
​
Founder & CEO
Afro Unicorn

Kirsten Field
​
Founder
Kids Crafts, LLC

Helen Townsend
​
Co-Founder
Sustained Fun

Paige McInnes
​
Founder & Creative Director
Little Change Creators

Kusuma Reddy
​
Founder
Culturorama Toys​

Dr. Zabina Bhasin
​
CEO & Founder, Engagement & Vision Officer
In KidZ